R&D personnel by sector of performance and region — R&D Personnel in Belgium

Belgium: R&D personnel by sector of performance and region — R&D Personnel was 164,518 Persons in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
164,518 Persons
Change on year
up 3.5%
World rank
5th
of 17 countries
All-time high
164,518 Persons
in 2023
All-time low
73,187 Persons
in 2002
Years of data
16
2002–2023

R&D personnel by sector of performance and region — R&D Personnel in Belgium, 2002–2023

050.0k100.0k150.0k2002201220232002: 73.2k Persons2003: 73.6k Persons2004: 76.3k Persons2005: 78.5k Persons2006: 80.5k Persons2007: 83.5k Persons2008: 86.7k Persons2009: 88.8k Persons2010: 88.8k Persons2011: 94.4k Persons2013: 100.4k Persons2015: 113.6k Persons2017: 129.0k Persons2019: 148.1k Persons2021: 159.0k Persons2023: 164.5k Persons

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Persons.

Analysis

Belgium recorded 164,518 Persons for r&d personnel by sector of performance and region — r&d personnel in 2023. That is the highest value across all 16 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.5% on the previous year and up 63.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, r&d personnel by sector of performance and region — r&d personnel in Belgium peaked at 164,518 Persons in 2023 and was at its lowest, 73,187 Persons, in 2002.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.

R&D personnel by sector of performance and region — R&D Personnel in Belgium, year by year

Annual values for R&D personnel by sector of performance and region — R&D Personnel (total economy) in Belgium, 2002 to 2023.
Year Persons Change
2002 73,187 Persons
2003 73,629 Persons +0.6%
2004 76,340 Persons +3.7%
2005 78,509 Persons +2.8%
2006 80,538 Persons +2.6%
2007 83,540 Persons +3.7%
2008 86,746 Persons +3.8%
2009 88,770 Persons +2.3%
2010 88,803 Persons +0.0%
2011 94,424 Persons +6.3%
2013 100,423 Persons +6.4%
2015 113,576 Persons +13.1%
2017 129,002 Persons +13.6%
2019 148,062 Persons +14.8%
2021 159,005 Persons +7.4%
2023 164,518 Persons +3.5%

Belgium compared with similar countries

  • Belgium's 164,518 Persons is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 149,651 Persons, 1.1× the median. (17 countries reporting)
  • Belgium's 164,518 Persons is above the median for high income countries, which is 149,651 Persons, 1.1× the median. (17 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 80,157 Persons 73,187 Persons 88,770 Persons 8
2010s 112,382 Persons 88,803 Persons 148,062 Persons 6
2020s 161,762 Persons 159,005 Persons 164,518 Persons 2

Countries ranked near Belgium

  1. 2 France 678,466 Persons compare
  2. 2 United Kingdom 739,816 Persons compare
  3. 3 Italy 518,829 Persons compare
  4. 3 Poland 326,075 Persons compare
  5. 4 Netherlands 195,127 Persons compare
  6. 4 Spain 431,848 Persons compare
  7. 6 Portugal 163,630 Persons compare
  8. 6 Croatia 28,059 Persons compare
  9. 7 Sweden 161,897 Persons compare
  10. 8 Austria 154,827 Persons compare

See the full ranking of 224 places →

More reference data data for Belgium

All data for Belgium →

Frequently asked questions

What is r&d personnel by sector of performance and region — r&d personnel in Belgium?
R&d personnel by sector of performance and region — r&d personnel in Belgium was 164,518 Persons in 2023, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest r&d personnel by sector of performance and region — r&d personnel recorded in Belgium?
The highest recorded value was 164,518 Persons in 2023.
What is the lowest r&d personnel by sector of performance and region — r&d personnel recorded in Belgium?
The lowest recorded value was 73,187 Persons in 2002.
How does Belgium rank for r&d personnel by sector of performance and region — r&d personnel?
Belgium ranks 5th out of 17 countries with data for 2023.
Is r&d personnel by sector of performance and region — r&d personnel rising or falling in Belgium?
Over the last ten years it is up 63.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Belgium data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of R&D personnel by sector of performance and region — R&D Personnel (total economy). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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R&D personnel by sector of performance and region — R&D Personnel in Belgium. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/r-and-d-personnel-by-sector-of-performance-and-region-r-and-d-personnel-total-economy/belgium/

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About this data

Indicator
R&D personnel by sector of performance and region — R&D Personnel (total economy)
Unit
Persons
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
224 places, 4,038 data points, 1982–2024
Last refreshed

This table contains research and development (R&D) personnel statistics. Number of R&D personnel is provided in both headcounts and full-time equivalent on R&D by sex, sector of employment (business enterprise, government, higher education, and private non-profit) and by large regions (territorial level 2 or TL2). Definition of regions: Regions are subnational units below national boundaries. OECD countries have two regional levels: large regions (territorial level 2 or TL2) and small regions (territorial level 3 or TL3). TL2 regions are used in this dataset. See the OECD Territorial Correspondence Table (xls) and the OECD Territorial grid (pdf).